Why are there so many animals and fantastic beasts in medieval art?

BarcelonaIn the medieval world, peacocks symbolized eternal resurrection, but also vanity. Panthers were multicolored beasts that represented the power of Christ because they were said to attract wild beasts and frighten dragons. The basilisk, half serpent and half rooster, was like the devil because it could kill with its voice, its scent, and its gaze. These are three of the stories that can be found starting this Tuesday in the new immersive exhibition at the Amatller Art Center, titled The fantastic library of beastsThis is a co-production of Layers of Reality with the Museum of Medieval Art of Vic (MEV) with which the museum takes the exhibition to a new dimension Beasts. Animals in Medieval Art of the MEVCurated by Judit Verdaguer and Marc Sureda, the exhibition received the Catalan Association of Museologists' award for best exhibition of the year and the Sàpiens Award for best historical outreach initiative.

"Judit and Marc, at the time as curators at the museum, had worked on a highly successful project. Together with the museum's director, Oriol Picas, they thought it could be a good way to begin this collaboration between a digital arts space and a space that works with world arts," says Jordi Sellas. Since they began working on the exhibition, Sureda has been appointed executive director of the Medieval Foundation, which houses the center. "We've gone a step further in how digital technology helps hybrid audiences in museums, because it's no longer just about digitizing and supporting the museum experience, but about stepping outside the museum and immersing ourselves in the immersive experience," says Picas.

Alongside the digital content, the exhibition boasts the major attraction of including 14 of the 80 works of art that were on display at the MEV exhibition. "For us, this is important because the artwork is what generated the narrative, because every color, every shape, every garment, and every stroke was what medieval men and women saw and interpreted. The works of art are essential because they lend authenticity to the story," explains Verdaguer. "The beasts are still alive in video games, in... The immersive experience will make them much more spectacular and, in a way, much more relatable to all audiences." Thus, among the works on display are a 15th-century dragon gargoyle, a gold earring from Ancient Greece in the shape of a mermaid, the beam from Tost's baldachin, and the Altarpiece dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel by Juan de Rúa.

At Casa Amatller, the decorations evoke a mysterious library with compartments and secret doors. The tour is divided into eight rooms, the last being the center's large immersive space. Among the themes of each room are hybrid beasts, the moral concepts they evoke, dragons, and the antique writing desks from which miniatures of many of these creatures emerged. "The bestiaries conveyed lessons about good and evil, virtues and sins, and showed them how to behave according to the Christian morality of the time," says Verdaguer. "For example, why do we still say 'crocodile tears' when referring to someone who sheds hypocritical tears? It's a scientific explanation, and usually stems from a misinterpretation of an observation, because crocodiles actually secrete a liquid from their tear ducts when they chew." This interpretive mechanism may seem simple, but it often doesn't exist because nuances are added, such as fabulous beasts, which could symbolize the dangers of the unknown world, and beasts formed from parts of other animals, often considered malevolent. Furthermore, the interpretation of these latter creatures could depend on the specific animal parts. And, moreover, the overall interpretation of bestiaries could vary according to the context, the artist, and the audience.